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The Official September Heritage Auction Thread
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366 posts in this topic

12 minutes ago, exitmusicblue said:

Ooo... what kinds of D&D memorabilia?

So, I started collecting baseball cards in 1979 and started playing hardcore D&D in 1981.  Along with James Bond movies/novels (starting in 1981) and REH Conan stories (starting in 1982), these were my interests before discovering comics in 1983.

I collect old D&D sets (from white box to red box...I don't have to have a woodgrain box for what they are selling for), modules (trying to get nice examples of every one that was printed in the format they used between the monochromes and the style they adopted in late 1983...there are 29 of them by my count), and AD&D hardcovers (I had 4 out of the 5 main books but finally/recently sprung for the one I was missing - Deities & Demigods).  Nothing later than the red box set and no miniatures/figures.  I don't really care about what printings things are, and I am happy with good eye appeal (doesn't have to be NM or shrinkwrapped, although I do own some sets in those conditions) - it's all about getting the most nostalgia bang for the buck, which is like orders of magnitude greater on these items than with OA where the latter is selling for these days.  I get the same nostalgia hit from buying a $50 module that I remember playing in my youth as I do from buying a $50K piece of art...it's a no-brainer for me.  

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1 minute ago, delekkerste said:

So, I started collecting baseball cards in 1979 and started playing hardcore D&D in 1981.  Along with James Bond movies/novels (starting in 1981) and REH Conan stories (starting in 1982), these were my interests before discovering comics in 1983.

I collect old D&D sets (from white box to red box...I don't have to have a woodgrain box for what they are selling for), modules (trying to get nice examples of every one that was printed in the format they used between the monochromes and the style they adopted in late 1983...there are 29 of them by my count), and AD&D hardcovers (I had 4 out of the 5 main books but finally/recently sprung for the one I was missing - Deities & Demigods).  Nothing later than the red box set and no miniatures/figures.  I don't really care about what printings things are, and I am happy with good eye appeal (doesn't have to be NM or shrinkwrapped, although I do own some sets in those conditions) - it's all about getting the most nostalgia bang for the buck, which is like orders of magnitude greater on these items than with OA where the latter is selling for these days.  I get the same nostalgia hit from buying a $50 module that I remember playing in my youth as I do from buying a $50K piece of art...it's a no-brainer for me.  

Totally cool, and totally understandable.

The young 'uns look at me funny whenever I mention the AD&D glory days.  Little do they know.

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3 minutes ago, delekkerste said:

I get the same nostalgia hit from buying a $50 module that I remember playing in my youth as I do from buying a $50K piece of art...it's a no-brainer for me. 

Same rush high for 1/1000th...that's pretty cool. I wish I had a similar "period" replacement interest, but 1981-present: comics/art. But after passing the comics around got old my friends and I beat up the DnD kids in the woods.

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1 hour ago, zhamlau said:

I have been doing a lot with cards for years, but I’m starting to get nervous especially with basketball and baseball modern. These box prices on 4 year old or less material is not sustainable.

Basketball got ridiculous and some of the popular cards have already been crashing over the past 4-6 weeks.  There's been a bit of a domino effect as it spilled over into modern soccer cards as well, with 2014 Messi & Ronaldo Prizms and 2018 Mbappes went tumbling with the prices of the ubiquitous Zions, Lucas, Jas, etc. that had soared into the thousands on hype.  

Some of the modern baseball stuff is crazy too.  I only play in the shallow end of that pool as I don't think it's sustainable.  I pulled an autographed card of your boy Pete Alonso when breaking a 2019 Topps Chrome box the other week. :) 

1 hour ago, exitmusicblue said:

Ooo... what kinds of D&D memorabilia?

Did sports cards from 2014-17 or so.  Vintage was steady but kinda boring, Modern could be gut-churning, as timing is everything.  It's a hobby where one can legit feel sorry for those one deals with, means you've done well, which never has been the case for me in OA.  "You sure you want that Matt Harvey auto for that much?  Yes, take it, take it now!" (Harvey implodes within months, card becomes worthless) "Really trading me an early BC Trout super for a Correa auto and some spare change?  If you insist..." (later sells Trout for 8x)  etc. etc.  Took up too much headspace, glad to have sailed away in the black.  Just as well could've been otherwise.

One bad injury, and millions in Modern value can vanish overnight.  As we card collectors turned comics collectors used to say, Spidey might get his arse kicked over and over, killed, eaten, whatever, but he'll be back web-slinging none the worse for wear.

I hadn't collected cards since I was a kid.  I started dabbling again a few years ago, just picking up a card here or there, and then started getting very into soccer cards last year before re-discovering both baseball (as a watchable sport...the 60 game season has been the most exciting thing in a very long time) and baseball cards during the lockdown this year.  There's a steep learning curve because the market has evolved so much since the '80s and '90s, as you know, and, like someone who jumps head first into OA collecting, I've made a number of mistakes jumping head first into card collecting this year.  For example, with (unopened) box prices having soared during the pandemic, breaking boxes has become a sucker's game in most cases (and I've definitely broken way too many boxes).  I've also learned that, despite less production than in the "junk wax" era, many cards are still way too common and not worth collecting/hoarding, except to the extent that you just like staring at a big stack of rookie cards that you got for cheap.    

I've been gravitating more and more towards collecting autographed cards from higher-end sets in both soccer and baseball, as well as collecting autographed John Elway cards (my all-time favorite NFL player).  I try to keep most purchases in the 2 and 3 figures while only occasionally crossing over into the low 4 figures.  Figure it won't hurt as much if it all implodes (or even normalizes back to pre-2020 levels) at some point.  Don't know if I would want to be holding an $80K Jasson Dominguez superfractor (the guy has yet to have a single minor league at-bat, let alone a single MLB at-bat) if/when that happens, let alone a $3.9 million Mike Trout card or $1.8 million Giannis rookie. :screwy: 

Edited by delekkerste
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22 minutes ago, vodou said:

I'm not seeing a link there...?

1838983C-87EA-4899-81F8-2382DA96C213.thumb.jpeg.80524bd18fcb74a26d8d1458f100e1d0.jpegA59BB0FA-7F16-42E7-BB3E-10679A65FF3B.thumb.jpeg.57c10d89820a1ab2a7ed639d824b2d20.jpeg

Credit to: Nick K.  Again, I'd perversely looove if choice SA/BA covers and splashes and the like flooded the market, but fear the whales would be able to absorb it all without much of a dent in prices.

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8 minutes ago, delekkerste said:

Basketball got ridiculous and some of the popular cards have already been crashing over the past month.  It's been a bit of a domino effect as it spilled over into modern soccer cards as well, with 2014 Messi & Ronaldo Prizms and 2018 Mbappes went tumbling with the prices of the ubiquitous Zions, Lucas, Jas, etc. that had soared into the thousands on hype.  

Some of the modern baseball stuff is crazy too.  I don't play in that sandbox as I don't think it's sustainable.

I hadn't collected cards since I was a kid.  I started dabbling again a few years ago, just picking up a card here or there, and then started getting very into soccer cards last year before re-discovering both baseball (as a watchable sport...the 60 game season has been the most exciting thing in a very long time) and baseball cards during the lockdown this year.  There's a steep learning curve because the market has evolved so much since the '80s and '90s, as you know, and, like someone who jumps head first into OA collecting, I've made a number of mistakes jumping head first into card collecting this year.  For example, with (unopened) box prices having soared during the pandemic, breaking boxes has become a sucker's game in most cases (and I've definitely broken way too many boxes).  I've also learned that, despite less production than in the "junk wax" era, many cards are still way too common and not worth collecting/hoarding, except to the extent that you just like staring at a big stack of rookie cards that you got for cheap.    

I've been gravitating more and more towards collecting autographed cards from higher-end sets in both soccer and baseball and autographed John Elway cards (my all-time favorite NFL player).  I try to keep most purchases in the 2 and 3 figures while only occasionally crossing over into the low 4 figures.  Figure it won't hurt as much if it all implodes (or even normalizes back to pre-2020 levels) at some point.  Don't know if I would want to be holding an $80K Jasson Dominguez superfractor (the guy has yet to have a single minor league at-bat, let alone a single MLB at-bat) if/when that happens. 

Phew.  That pretty much sounds like an ideal approach.

In hindsight, an awful thing about box-breaking is that it pretty much forces/prompts turning around and selling and/or speculation even for non-speculators, because it removes from you the agency of getting what you want or feel an attachment to (while doubling as a time bomb).  That's the true cost of spinning the wheel.  

This said, the greater balance are fond memories from childhood onward for me, too.  Gotta keep it that way with any hobby.

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24 minutes ago, delekkerste said:

Basketball got ridiculous and some of the popular cards have already been crashing over the past 4-6 weeks.  There's been a bit of a domino effect as it spilled over into modern soccer cards as well, with 2014 Messi & Ronaldo Prizms and 2018 Mbappes went tumbling with the prices of the ubiquitous Zions, Lucas, Jas, etc. that had soared into the thousands on hype.  

Some of the modern baseball stuff is crazy too.  I only play in the shallow end of that pool as I don't think it's sustainable.  I pulled an autographed card of your boy Pete Alonso when breaking a 2019 Topps Chrome box the other week. :) 

I hadn't collected cards since I was a kid.  I started dabbling again a few years ago, just picking up a card here or there, and then started getting very into soccer cards last year before re-discovering both baseball (as a watchable sport...the 60 game season has been the most exciting thing in a very long time) and baseball cards during the lockdown this year.  There's a steep learning curve because the market has evolved so much since the '80s and '90s, as you know, and, like someone who jumps head first into OA collecting, I've made a number of mistakes jumping head first into card collecting this year.  For example, with (unopened) box prices having soared during the pandemic, breaking boxes has become a sucker's game in most cases (and I've definitely broken way too many boxes).  I've also learned that, despite less production than in the "junk wax" era, many cards are still way too common and not worth collecting/hoarding, except to the extent that you just like staring at a big stack of rookie cards that you got for cheap.    

I've been gravitating more and more towards collecting autographed cards from higher-end sets in both soccer and baseball, as well as collecting autographed John Elway cards (my all-time favorite NFL player).  I try to keep most purchases in the 2 and 3 figures while only occasionally crossing over into the low 4 figures.  Figure it won't hurt as much if it all implodes (or even normalizes back to pre-2020 levels) at some point.  Don't know if I would want to be holding an $80K Jasson Dominguez superfractor (the guy has yet to have a single minor league at-bat, let alone a single MLB at-bat) if/when that happens, let alone a $3.9 million Mike Trout card or $1.8 million Giannis rookie. :screwy: 

Pete has been struggling this year. I think next year will be much better. I think he needs a crowd and a long season because he is hyper emotional and feeds of it...but because of that he can get super hot or go super cold. His cards have held in price though.

The guys holding 4 and 5 figure Zion cards are what shock me. I never open basketball but I’ve seen his stats and highlights, he doesn’t look like a transcendent player from those. Luka does though, god his stuff is pure fire right now.

Im not gonna hit anything like I did Alonso (cause he was a common at the time) but I love Kyle Lewis stuff. He is already known and he isn’t cheap but compared to Luis Robert prices it’s a bargain. Only knock is he is old for a rookie, but he could have 10 great years ahead of him. Plus he seems to be a great guy and that’s the special sauce when it comes to hobby love IMO. You want a cheap buy and hold compared to Luis it’s him.


LOL it’s turned into the Blowout Cards Forum in this thread. Sorry about that.

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12 minutes ago, zhamlau said:

Pete has been struggling this year. I think next year will be much better. I think he needs a crowd and a long season because he is hyper emotional and feeds of it...but because of that he can get super hot or go super cold. His cards have held in price though.

The guys holding 4 and 5 figure Zion cards are what shock me. I never open basketball but I’ve seen his stats and highlights, he doesn’t look like a transcendent player from those. Luka does though, god his stuff is pure fire right now.

Im not gonna hit anything like I did Alonso (cause he was a common at the time) but I love Kyle Lewis stuff. He is already known and he isn’t cheap but compared to Luis Robert prices it’s a bargain. Only knock is he is old for a rookie, but he could have 10 great years ahead of him. Plus he seems to be a great guy and that’s the special sauce when it comes to hobby love IMO. You want a cheap buy and hold compared to Luis it’s him.


LOL it’s turned into the Blowout Cards Forum in this thread. Sorry about that.

Took me a while to adjust to these boards after years on BO.  Everything can be so zero-sum there.  Here, along with good cheer we can have debates and disagreements, irony and sarcasm and wit while everyone stays kumbaya.  I realized a li'l late but am glad I saw the light.  Now really back to work . . . .

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3 hours ago, zhamlau said:

Pete has been struggling this year. I think next year will be much better. I think he needs a crowd and a long season because he is hyper emotional and feeds of it...but because of that he can get super hot or go super cold. His cards have held in price though.

The guys holding 4 and 5 figure Zion cards are what shock me. I never open basketball but I’ve seen his stats and highlights, he doesn’t look like a transcendent player from those. Luka does though, god his stuff is pure fire right now.

Im not gonna hit anything like I did Alonso (cause he was a common at the time) but I love Kyle Lewis stuff. He is already known and he isn’t cheap but compared to Luis Robert prices it’s a bargain. Only knock is he is old for a rookie, but he could have 10 great years ahead of him. Plus he seems to be a great guy and that’s the special sauce when it comes to hobby love IMO. You want a cheap buy and hold compared to Luis it’s him.


LOL it’s turned into the Blowout Cards Forum in this thread. Sorry about that.

Hey I like to Blowoutcards forums :)

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4 hours ago, exitmusicblue said:

1838983C-87EA-4899-81F8-2382DA96C213.thumb.jpeg.80524bd18fcb74a26d8d1458f100e1d0.jpegA59BB0FA-7F16-42E7-BB3E-10679A65FF3B.thumb.jpeg.57c10d89820a1ab2a7ed639d824b2d20.jpeg

Credit to: Nick K.  Again, I'd perversely looove if choice SA/BA covers and splashes and the like flooded the market, but fear the whales would be able to absorb it all without much of a dent in prices.

There can be a statute of limitations governing theft, the crime, but not of ownership rights, the property. The original owner can still sue anyone holding the art and force its return, even if bought by the holder in “good faith”. That why Nazi plunder can still be pursued (at least in this country, other nation’s laws can be different).

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18 minutes ago, Rick2you2 said:

There can be a statute of limitations governing theft, the crime, but not of ownership rights, the property. The original owner can still sue anyone holding the art and force its return, even if bought by the holder in “good faith”. That why Nazi plunder can still be pursued (at least in this country, other nation’s laws can be different).

It seems the original owners here (Big 2) wouldn't even be able to identify what's been stolen...

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5 hours ago, delekkerste said:

So, I started collecting baseball cards in 1979 and started playing hardcore D&D in 1981.  Along with James Bond movies/novels (starting in 1981) and REH Conan stories (starting in 1982), these were my interests before discovering comics in 1983.

I collect old D&D sets (from white box to red box...I don't have to have a woodgrain box for what they are selling for), modules (trying to get nice examples of every one that was printed in the format they used between the monochromes and the style they adopted in late 1983...there are 29 of them by my count), and AD&D hardcovers (I had 4 out of the 5 main books but finally/recently sprung for the one I was missing - Deities & Demigods).  Nothing later than the red box set and no miniatures/figures.  I don't really care about what printings things are, and I am happy with good eye appeal (doesn't have to be NM or shrinkwrapped, although I do own some sets in those conditions) - it's all about getting the most nostalgia bang for the buck, which is like orders of magnitude greater on these items than with OA where the latter is selling for these days.  I get the same nostalgia hit from buying a $50 module that I remember playing in my youth as I do from buying a $50K piece of art...it's a no-brainer for me.  

Very cool. I started to dabble in product when it became clear the art was untouchable. It's shocking what sealed packs and boxes of 70s minis go for (nothing). Modules are also fairly cheap but the repro shrink thing scared me away. I'd still like a nice set of the Dragonlance modules for the cover art. I have now moved 100% in to Warhammer art.

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12 hours ago, exitmusicblue said:
12 hours ago, Rick2you2 said:

What is the market like for Omaha pages? Did that price seem a little low? Gene, you know all this stuff; your thoughts?

Paging @delekkerste

Wow, so Gene is the go-to guy for x-rated comic art?  

Interesting! 

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11 hours ago, delekkerste said:

For example, with (unopened) box prices having soared during the pandemic, breaking boxes has become a sucker's game in most cases (and I've definitely broken way too many boxes). 

I was only half joking with my Schrodinger post.

The value of the unopened boxes lies purely in the potential of what may be in there.

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